The Illinois State Redbirds football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The school's first football team was fielded in 1887. The team plays its home games at the 13,391 seat Hancock Stadium. They are coached by Brock Spack.
Prior to 1923, the Illinois State football team was known as the Teachers or the Fighting Teachers. When Clifford E. Horton began coaching the team in 1923, he proposed the Cardinals as the team's new nickname, after its red and white colors. Fred Young, the sports editor for The Pantagraph in Bloomington, Illinois, changed the name to the Redbirds to distinguish the team from the nearby St. Louis Cardinals.
Illinois State has won ten conference titles, four outright.
â Co-championship
The Redbirds have made ten appearances in the Division IâÂÂAA/FCS playoffs, with a combined record of 15âÂÂ10.
Illinois State has one bowl appearance, going 0âÂÂ1.
Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy now known as Missouri S&T.
The Mid-America Classic is the rivalry game between Illinois State and Eastern Illinois. The rivalry began in 1901 and is the oldest in the state of Illinois. With the 100th game in the series, representatives from both schools met and developed the Mid-America Classic renaming for the rivalry. The two schools also collaborated on a traveling trophy, which holds plaques with the results of the previous 100 games in the series and has room for results of future games in the series. The two teams have played 113 times in total, with Illinois State holding a 61âÂÂ43âÂÂ9 advantage in the all-time series as of the 2025 season.
Buck Buchanan Award
The Buck Buchanan Award is given annually to the College Football Best Defensive Player in the FCS by Stats Perform, from 1995 to present.
Mosi Tatupu Award
The Mosi Tatupu Award was given annually to the College Football Special Teams Player of the Year by the Maui Quarterback Club and the Hula Bowl, from 1997 to 2006.
Notable alumni include:
Announced schedules as of January 13, 2026.